Beginning in 2019, transgender CrossFit athletes will be permitted to choose whether they compete as men or as women in the annual CrossFit Games.

This shift represents a significant change in CrossFit’s policies. Since the competition’s inception in 2007, athletes have been required to register as either male or female, depending upon their actual biological sex. But CrossFit’s recent decision will change all of that.

According to the LGBTQ website them, CrossFit CEO and co-founder Greg Glassman announced the policy change last Friday. He was speaking at an LGBTQ-themed event titled “Big Gay Happy Hour,” designed to kick off the Reebok 2018 CrossFit Games being held in Madison, Wisconsin.

“In the 2019 CrossFit competitive season, starting with the Open, transgender athletes are welcome to participate in the division with which they identify,” Glassman said. “This is the right thing to do. CrossFit believes in the potential, capacity, and dignity of every athlete. We are proud of our LGBT community, including our transgender athletes, and we want you here with us.”